Say Excuse Me, Flossie

Canadian scientists are on the verge of developing a breed of cow that burps less, and it's not just about bovine good manners.

Nearly 75 percent of the methane that is introduced into the atmosphere comes from cows. And while carbon dioxide emissions are more significant in terms of volume and tonnage, methane is a far more aggressive greenhouse gas — approximately 20 times as potent an atmospheric heat trapper — compared to carbon dioxide.

And of this bovine-generated methane, some of it does indeed come from the south-facing end as one might expect. However, the large majority of it is emitted in the form of a cow belch.

Many, of course, argue that the most effective way to achieve a reduction in bovine source pollution is to curtail the demand for beef, and it's a difficult argument to counter. But while that position is entirely accurate, many will, regardless, continue to exercise the choice to include beef in their diets.

As long as people will want to eat beef, there's a whiff of promise to the notion of a cow that produces less methane.

As featured in a current article in ScienceDaily, University of Alberta's Stephen Moore is pursuing a genetics track towards developing a strain that selects for a more efficient and less gassy digestive system.

Dietary decisions may also play a role. The same article cites recent success by New Hampshire's Stonyfield Farm, an organic yogurt producer, in reducing methane output by their herd simply by adding such grains as alfalfa, flax, or hemp into the feed.

The notion of less burp per burger: it's not just so much hot air.